WE ARE GOING TO BE INSPECTED.

BY GARRETT P. SERVISS.

(This clipping was taken from a newspaper in the winter of 1905.)

There is something on the cards for this winter of wider interest than social functions, theater parties, Wall street plunges, politics, and even war—it is an inspection of which the whole earth will be the subject. The inspector can already be seen approaching, lantern in hand (for it is a nocturnal job), peeping over the rim of the world at sunset. This inspector is the planet Venus.

Venus, we have excellent reasons for thinking, is a world crowded with intelligent inhabitants, and as, for several months to come, it rises higher every night, and beams more and more brilliantly, we may almost feel the eyes of those inhabitants fixed curiously upon us. For if we think of them, can they fail to think of us?

But their opportunity for observation is far better than ours. It is customary for us to consider other planets only as they present themselves to the earth. Quite as interesting, and infinitely more novel, is it to consider the earth as it presents itself to other planets, and particularly to Venus, its nearest planetary neighbor, and its closest counterpart.

Once grant that there are intelligent beings on Venus and the conclusion follows with irresistible force that they must study our globe with an intensity of interest and application proportional to the ease with which their observations can be made. And this is exactly the particular in which they possess a great advantage over us.In fact, there is no place in the entire solar system where an astronomer could have so favorable a position for examining another world than his own as he would have on the planet Venus.

The reason is very simple; it is because when Venus is nearest to the earth—about twenty-six million miles away—she lies between the earth and the sun. At that time we cannot see her at all, because our eyes are blinded by the flood of sunshine which envelops her. But, on the other hand, at that time the earth is in the middle of Venus’ midnight sky, blazing with light reflected from its continents and oceans and polar snows, and looming so large and splendid that the sight must be unutterably magnificent—such a sight as a terrestrial astronomer would sit up all night to gaze at, and then feel that the swift pace of time had robbed him.

In order to comprehend how great the earth must appear from Venus when the two are in line with the sun, it will only be necessary the coming winter to look at Venus herself, shortly after sundown—at the same time remembering that the splendor which dazzles our eyes comes from but a small fraction of the illuminated surface of that planet, while the earth as seen from Venus will show its whole round face like a full moon!

To my mind there is nothing, not mathematically demonstrable, more certain than that the astronomers of Venus are already preparing for the great spectacle that will adorn their heavens late in the coming winter, when the earth, with its attendant moon, swims in the midnight.

The culmination of the earth must be one of the greatest events in their calendar. Studying it with powerful telescopes, they must long ago have familiarized themselves with the geography and the meteorology ofour planet. Our continents and oceans, and even our groups of islands, our vast river valleys, our mountain chains, must all appear on their school globes of the earth. We have made school globes of Mars, but Mars is far away, and our opportunities for studying his features are insignificant compared with those which the people of Venus have for studying the earth.

To the readers of this book I have this to say: I believe the ideas it contains are a prophecy. Time will prove it if it is so, and every one can do a part towards helping along its fulfillment.

Lena Jane Fry.

There are a number of people in Chicago who are about forming a Wealth Producing and Distributing Society. Any one wishing to join them or learn the particulars concerning said Society, can do so by sending a self-addressed stamped envelope for reply, toMRS. LENA J. FRYLock Box 366,Chicago Post-OfficeCHICAGO, ILLINOISThis book is published privately, and can be secured by sending either a Post-Office or Express Order to MRS. LENA J. FRY, if it cannot be found in the nearest book store.Price for Cloth Bound Book, $1.00

MRS. LENA J. FRYLock Box 366,Chicago Post-OfficeCHICAGO, ILLINOIS

MRS. LENA J. FRY

Lock Box 366,

Chicago Post-Office

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

This book is published privately, and can be secured by sending either a Post-Office or Express Order to MRS. LENA J. FRY, if it cannot be found in the nearest book store.

Price for Cloth Bound Book, $1.00

TRANSCRIBER’S NOTESP.114, changed “ride our your back” to “ride on your back”.There was no CHAPTER IX or XV. Renumbered the chapters.Table ofContentsadded by transcriber.Silently corrected typographical errors and variations in spelling.Archaic, non-standard, and uncertain spellings retained as printed.

TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES

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